How to Implement Indoor Navigation Maps?
Navigating a large hospital or health complex can be a daunting experience. Long halls, several buildings, and confusing floor layouts have a way of leaving patients, visitors, and even employees lost. Getting lost isn’t merely stressful; it can lead to late or missed appointments, delayed procedures, and unnecessary disruptions for hospital staff.
This is where Indoor Navigation technology plays its part. Just as GPS revolutionized outdoor mobility, an Indoor Navigation Solution redefines how humans navigate large, indoor complex spaces. Yet how, exactly, can hospitals use indoor navigation maps efficiently? Let’s walk through it, one by one.
Why Indoor Navigation Matters in Hospitals?
Hospitals aren’t buildings like any other. They’re dynamic spaces that shift and change over time, new departments are built on, wings get added, and temporary detours appear due to renovations. Old-school methods such as static signage and maps can’t possibly keep up with these changes.
Having indoor navigation maps is incredibly beneficial:
- Reduced stress for families and patients.
- Staff movement and patient flow improve.
- Time saved for everyone.
- Higher satisfaction ratings are a key consideration in the patient-centered health care culture of the present.
When patients can easily navigate their way around, hospitals operate more smoothly and provide a more positive overall experience.
Steps to Implement Indoor Navigation Maps
Step 1: Digitize the Hospital Floor Plans
The first step to implementing an Indoor Navigation Solution is creating accurate digital replicas of the building.
- Start from existing architectural floor plans.
- Move them over to a digital format that supports mapping layers.
- Include major points of interest such as elevators, restrooms, laboratories, clinics, emergency exits, and cafeterias.
- Identify accessible paths for wheelchair- and mobility-impaired patients.
Approach this phase as building the digital platform. As outdoor maps need street data, Indoor Navigation will need to be accurately mapped to assist in guiding users properly.
Step 2: Install Location Technology
Unlike outdoor GPS, satellites do not penetrate indoors. That is why hospitals need to use other technologies to achieve indoor positioning.
Some standard solutions are:
- Bluetooth beacons: Small units scattered throughout the hospital to share data with smartphones.
- Wi-Fi positioning: Utilizes installed Wi-Fi access points to estimate the location.
- Magnetic field mapping: Tracks natural fluctuations within a building’s magnetic field.
- QR codes: Affordable solutions for each navigation checkpoint.
Individual hospitals may choose the best combination depending on size, budget, and existing infrastructure.
Step 3: Choose the Best Indoor Navigation Software
The heart of the system lies in the wayfinding software. It is the application layer that utilizes maps and position technology to provide real-time directions.
A good platform must:
- Offer turn-by-turn directions (like a car GPS, but inside).
- Support multiple-floor navigation.
- Integrate with hospital scheduling systems, allowing patients to be routed directly to their appointments.
- Make accessibility features, such as wheelchair routing, available.
- Provide tools to refresh maps when layouts change.
The easier it is for staff to administer and patients to use, the better the implementation will work.
Step 4: Integrate with Hospital Systems
Indoor Navigation works best when it integrates with the hospital’s existing digital ecosystem. For example:
- Patients receive turn-by-turn directions to their appointment through their hospital mobile app.
- Staff can optimize guiding patients through the hospital.
- Visitors can search for facilities like cafeterias or gift shops.
Integration implies that navigation is a routine aspect of hospital life, not something distinct from a person’s phone.
Step 5: Test and Train Before Launch
Before hospital-wide implementation, it is necessary to run pilot programs:
- Test accuracy: Does the system accurately identify a user’s location?
- Check usability: Is the app simple enough for elderly patients and new users?
- Collect feedback: Encourage patients, visitors, and staff to make recommendations.
- Train hospital staff: Information desk staff and volunteers need to know how the system operates to support patients.
Testing minimizes mistakes, instills confidence, and provides a glitch-free rollout when the system is launched.
Step 6: Market the Indoor Navigation App
Even the best technology won’t do any good if no one is aware of it. Indoor Navigation maps need to be actively promoted by hospitals:
- Appointment reminders by email or SMS.
- Entrance point posters and QR codes.
- Provide kiosks at main entry points for non-smartphone users.
- Printable maps for staff and volunteers to hand out.
The easier it is, the more likely it will be used.
Benefits of Having Indoor Navigation Maps Implemented
When installed correctly, an Indoor Navigation Solution delivers real-world benefits to every occupant of the hospital.
For Hospital Patients and Visitors
- Less anxiety in locating departments.
- Being on time for appointments.
- Greater independence in getting around the facility.
For Hospital Staff
- Fewer interruptions from lost patients.
- Enhanced cooperation between departments.
- Time saved to locate rooms in different departments.
For Hospital Administrators
- Improved patient satisfaction ratings.
- Better utilization of staff resources.
- More scalable infrastructure that grows with the hospital.
Best Practices for Success
To achieve maximum results, hospitals must adopt these best practices:
- Regularly update maps: Hospitals evolve daily. Regular updates are essential.
- Accessibility first: Ensure that the system has equal benefits for all, including disabled patients.
- Constant gathering of feedback: Technology must change in line with the demands of the users.
- Team up with specialists: Choosing the best vendor makes it easy to implement.
Getting Started With Cartogram
Hospitals that need to implement Indoor Navigation need not start from scratch. With the right partner, it’s simplified.
Cartogram provides tailored digital wayfinding solutions specifically for healthcare environments. From creating accurate maps of the indoors to integrating with hospital systems, Cartogram ensures that patients, visitors, and staff enjoy hassle-free navigation.
Navigating Smarter with Cartogram’s Indoor Navigation Solution
Hospitals do not have to be overwhelming. At Cartogram, our Indoor Navigation Solution is created to help healthcare facilities develop a stress-free and frictionless experience for patients and guests and drive staff efficiency.
Whether your goal is to refresh your building, boost patient satisfaction, or make hospital visits easier, Cartogram’s navigation makes the change from confusion to clarity easy.
Ready to learn how an indoor navigation system can transform your hospital? Contact Cartogram today to learn more about our mapping software and start deploying your own Indoor Navigation Solution.
FAQ’s
1. What is an Indoor Navigation Solution?
It’s like GPS for indoors, guiding patients and visitors through hospital buildings.
2. How does indoor navigation work?
Digital maps, a proprietary indoor positioning algorithm from Bluetooth beacons, and an indoor routing algorithm are combined with a mobile app to give turn-by-turn directions.
3. Why are hospitals adopting it?
To reduce stress, improve patient flow, and cut down missed appointments.
4. Can it help people with disabilities?
Yes, it highlights accessible routes, such as ramps and elevators.
5. How does Cartogram support hospitals?
By offering a customized indoor navigation solution that scales with growth.
